F 202 
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Copy 1 



A RAMBLE ALONG THE BOUNDARY STONE8 

OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 

WITH A CAMERA 



By FRED E. WOODWARD 

{ Head k't'c.re the Sociclv, May 14, 190(3. 



[Reprinted from tlie Records of tfik Columbia Histoiiical Society 
Washington, D. C. Vol. 10, 1907.] 



A Rx^MBLE ALONG THE BOUNDARY STONES 

OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WITH 

A CAMERA. 

By FRED E. WOODWARD. 

(Read before the Society, May 14, 1906.) 

It will surprise many to know that the District of 
Columbia, the seat of the National Government, often 
called the "Ten Miles Square," is not at present, and 
was not, even at the outset, exactly ten miles square. 
Accurate measurements made by the U. S, Coast Sur- 
vey, fixing definitely the position of the original bound- 
ary stones, show that while the district was approxi- 
mately a rectangle whose four sides were ten miles in 
length, it was not exactl}^ so, as each line is somewhat 
more than ten miles long. To be exact, the northwest- 
ern and southeastern lines exceed ten statute miles^ by 
63 feet and 70.5 feet respectively ; and the northeastern 
and southwestern lines also exceed ten statute miles 
by 263.1 feet and 230.6 feet respectively. 

These irregularities throw the north corner of the 
district 116.2 feet to the west of the meridian of the 
south or original stone, and also throw the west corner 
138.6 farther to the north than the east corner. A 
closer examination shows that the distances between 
the successive stones vary considerably from exact 
miles, and in no single instance can a milestone be 
found placed at exactly a distance of one mile from its 
neighbor. The nearest approach to an exact mile is 
between Nos. 1 and 2 on the southwest line, near Ben- 
nings, and between Nos. 7 and 8 on the northwest line, 

63 



64 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

near Chevy Chase Circle, each of which measures 5,279 
feet, or one foot short of a mile. 

These errors in measurement amount to as much as 
40 feet over a mile in one instance and to 138 feet short, 
in another of the various intervals, and these discrepan- 
cies apply to those spaces which are supposed to 
be exact miles and not to certain spaces which were 
intended to be either more or less than a mile, and are 
so marked. 

It is still further discovered that many of the stones 
are out of alignment and that the original lines limit 
ing the territory are not at the proper angles. For 
instance, the southeastern line, which was intended to 
bear north 45° east, or true N. E., is actually north 
45° 1' 45.6" east, or nearly tivo minutes out of the way, 
while the southwestern line which was intended to bear 
45° west, or true N. W., is actually north 44° 59' 24.6" 
west, or nearly oije-half minute out of the way. 

The District of Columbia was established by an Act 
of Congress dated July 16, 1790. It was first called 
the -Territory of Columbia, although a reporter from 
Alexandria, Virginia, in sending a report of the laying 
of the original cornerstone, April 15, 1791, to the 
Massachusetts Spy made use of the words, "United 
Columbia." An early use of the words, '^ District of 
Columbia," appears in the U. S. Gazette, published in 
Philadelphia, January 4, 1792. No mention of either 
of these titles, however, appears on any of the boundary 
stones, the Federal territory being marked in every 
instance by the words, "Jurisdiction of the United 
States." 

The surveys for the seat of the Federal Government 
were made (under the personal direction of General 
Washington, who was a practical surveyor) by Major 
Pierre Charles L 'Enfant, a young Frenchman of un- 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 65 

doubted talent and skill, but so impulsive and self- 
willed tliat an open rupture between himself and the 
authorities took place and led to his early retirement. 
Prominent among his assistants were Major Andrew 
Ellicott of Ellicott's Mills, Maryland, who became in a 
few months L 'Enfant 's successor; Lieutenant Isaac 
Roberdeau, who was dismissed by reason of his par- 
ticipation in the historic demolition of the residence 
of Daniel Carroll in New Jersey Avenue, S. E., in 1792 ; 
Nicholas and Charles King, the Count de Graff and 
Benjamin Banneker, the celebrated negro mathema- 
tician and astronomer of Ellicott's Mills, Maryland. 

Major Andrew Ellicott was a practical engineer of 
great ability, robust and athletic; possessed of moral 
qualities far above the average. His whole career 
seems to have been consistent and straightforward, and 
he was rewarded by the continued friendship and con- 
fidence of those in authority, serving the growing re- 
public in many places of importance. His map of the 
District, made in 1793, or thereabouts, which was prac- 
ticall}' Major L'Enfant's modified and changed in a 
few minor details, is a most valuable one and has been 
many times reprinted. 

Benjamin Banneker was a free negro, who had al- 
ready attracted the attention of Washington and Jef 
ferson by his wonderful mathematical ability. He was 
a protege of Major Ellicott (and earlier still of his 
father, Joseph Ellicott, of Ellicott's Mills, Maryland, a 
pioneer who constructed in 1769 a wonderful astronom- 
ical clock, which played twenty-four musical tunes, 
and was the wonder of the community). Banneker 's 
knowledge of the exact sciences was remarkable, and 
he was able on more than one occasion to point out 
errors in the ''Nautical Almanac," which had hitherto 
passed unnoticed. In 1791 he was in the j^rime of his 

5 



66 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

life, about forty years of age, active and energetic, of 
noble and imposing appearance. His broadcloth coat, 
tbough of ancient cut, was of good material and adorned 
with antique metal buttons. Later in life, he is de- 
scribed as having a venerable face and an abundance 
of white hair, which caused him to become an object of 
much interest. His services in the work of laying out 
the federal territory have always been spoken of in 
terms of praise. 

Completion of the Survey. 
Major Ellicott, in a report made to the Commission- 
ers of the District dated January 1, 1793, says : 

"It is with singular satisfaction that I announce the com- 
pletion of the four lines comprehending the Territory of 
Columbia. These lines are now opened and cleared forty feet 
wide : — that is twenty feet on each side of the lines limiting 
the Territory and in order to perpetuate the work I have set 
up square milestones, marked progressively from the begin- 
ning on Jones' Point to the west corner, thence to the north 
corner, thence to the east, thence to the place of beginning, 
except as to a few places where the miles terminated on a 
declivity or in the water, in such cases the stones are placed 
on the nearest firm ground and the true distance in miles and 
poles is marked on them. 

"On the sides facing the Territory is inscribed 'Jurisdic- 
tion of the United States,' on the opposite sides the name of 
the state, Virginia or ]\Iaryland, and on the fourth side is 
inscribed the year and the present position of the magnetic 
needle at the place." 

This last statement seems to be slightly inaccurate, 
as in no one instance can be found the year and the 
magnetic variation on one and the same side, thei/ being 
invariably on opposite sides. Thus, if we call the Dis- 
trict side of the stone Xo. 1, the date appears on No. 2, 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X. Pl. IX. 




Northwest No. 4. 
Near Chain Bridge. 




XoKTllWKST Xo. 5. 

Near Receiving Reservoir. 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X, Pl. X. 




Northwest No. 6. 
American University Park. 




Northwest No. 7. 
Near Chevy Chase Circle — Bannockburn Golf Club. 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 67 

the name of tlie state on No. 3, and the variation of the 
magnetic needle on No. 4. 

The south corner or initial stone of the District was 
placed at Jones ' Point on Hunting Creek, below Alex- 
andria, Virginia, April 15, 1791, by the Masonic Lodge 
of Alexandria, assisted by Dr. Stuart, one of the com- 
missioners, and from this point a line was run due 
northwest ten miles, to a point not far from the present 
village of Falls Church, Virginia ; and another line due 
northeast ten miles to a point near the present station 
of the Chesapeake Beach railroad, near Bennings, D. C. 
From each of these points a line was run at right angles, 
ten miles in length, the two meeting at a point near the 
little village of Woodside, Maryland, one mile north 
of Silver Spring. 

The boundary stones were all of fine sandstone (taken 
from the quarries leased b}^ the United States Govern- 
ment near Acquia Creek, Virginia), one foot square and 
two feet in height, independent of the rough part which 
was embedded in the ground and which was also two 
feet. The top was bevelled for four inches, thus form- 
ing the frustrum of a four-sided pyramid. The stones 
appear to be carefully and accurately sawed and not cut 
with a chisel, many of the stones still showing the 
marks of the saw. 

Each stone bears the word ''miles" or ''mile," and 
they are numbered progressively from 1 to 10 on each 
line. An additional number was placed on the last five 
stones on the northeast line from the Potomac River 
near Chain Bridge to Woodside, Maryland, apparently 
marking the number of miles on Maryland territory. . 

During the spring and summer of 1905 the writer 
visited and inspected all of the stones which mark the 
boundary line between Maryland and the District of 
Columbia and secured photographs of each one. 



68 Records of the Columhia Historical Society. 

The results of this work, it is his privilege to present 
at this time. 

It is a matter of regret that equally good pictures 
could not be secured of every "stone, but atmospheric 
conditions and the declining sun proved in some in- 
stances uncertain quantities and several poor pictures 
are the result. 

A large number of friends have served as compan- 
ions in these country rambles, some of whose pictures 
are shown, and occasionally pictures were made of 
natives to the manor born, as in the case of Albert and 
George Washington, colored, near N. E. No. 9. 

A summary shows that fourteen of the stones are in 
good condition, six of the stones are in very 'poor state 
of preservation and should be replaced in the near 
future by perfect stones. One is worn totally smooth^ 
another stands in the ^caters of the Potomac, and tivo 
lean badly. Ten of them are more or less worn and 
scarred by the hand of time or battered by the hand of 
man, as might be expected after their solitary vigil of 
sixscore years. 

Eight of the stones are in the dense woods and at the 
present time quite difficult to find, though the rapid 
growth of building operations towards the outer limits 
of the District during the jDast two years bids fair to 
soon eliminate all woods and leave only the open fields. 

Three of the stones are practically in the roadside, 
one of these on the Walker road near Silver Hill, Mary- 
land, being destitute of every vestige of lettering. 

Eight of the stones are in cultivated fields or gardens 
and four more are in the open ground or pasture land. 

Three of the stones were set intentionally at inter- 
vals greater or less than one mile, and bear on the stone 
the exact distance marked in miles and poles. 

Fourteen of these stones in the state of Virginia were 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X, Pl. XI. 




Northwest No. 8. 
Near Pinchnrst. 




NokTHWKST No. 9. 
Near upper end of Rock Creek Park. 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X, Pl. XII. 




Northeast No. i. 
Near Silver Siiring — Blair Lee Farm. 




NoKTIl ClIK.VKk. 

Near Woodside. Md.— nn land of C. A. Snow. 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 69 

set in place in 1791 and the remaining twenty-six, all in 
Maryland, in the year 1792. In 1846, the United States 
ceded back to the state of Virginia that part of the Dis- 
trict lying west of the Potomac River, leaving only the 
Maryland portion with its twenty-six milestones as the 
present District of Columbia. 

So far as the writer knows no attempt has ever been 
made to picture or describe the boundary stones of the 
District in their entirety. In 1894 the National Geo- 
graphical Society published a paper on the surveys and 
maps of the District of Columbia, and in 1897 the 
Columbia Historical Society published a paper on the 
boundary monuments of the District of Columbia, both 
by Marcus Baker, the latter containing a picture of the 
four corner stones and the one called S. E. No. 1. 

These pictures were reprinted in The Churchman, 
December 15, 1900, and by the Washington Star, on 
the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary in 1902, and 
possibly by other papers and on other occasions, but 
it is believed that no attempt has ever before been made 
to present a truthful and consecutive picture of all of 
the boundary stones as they exist to-day imtil the pres- 
ent occasion. 

A glance at the map of the District shows that the 
line of boundary stones defining its borders begins a 
short distance from the bank of the canal, less than 
one half mile above the Chain Bridge, on land belong- 
ing to the United States Government. 

This is on the northwesterly line, and as three of the 
stones on this line were placed in Virginia, the first one 
on the Maryland side is called No. 4. 

AVlienever the end of a measured mile fell in the 
water the surveyors were instructed to go forward or 
backward until "firai ground was reached, and this was 
done in this case, for the stone bears the marks ''Miles 
4 and 100 P." 



70 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

The stone is in the woods, leans slightly, is somewhat 
chipped on the corners, but otherwise is in good con- 
dition. 

It is called on recent maps the Little Falls Boundary 
Stone and is easilj^ reached from the District line sta- 
tion of the Cabin John Bridge Cars, by following a 
private road leading towards the river, for about 100 
yards, thence in a northerly direction, about half that 
distance. 

It is one and a quarter miles from Glen Echo, and 
two and a half from Cabin John Bridge. 

The date is 1792 on this as on all of the stones on 
the Maryland border. 

Northwest No. 5 is hidden away in the fastnesses of 
an ancient wood not far from the inlet of the receiving 
reservoir of the water supply of the City of Wash- 
ington. 

The inspiration which comes with true communion 
with nature entered into our hearts here, as we 
searched through wooded dells over bracken and fern, 
under oak and chestnut,with the smell of the pine in 
our nostrils mingled with the aroma of wild flowers. 

As are all the others, this one is marked on the side 
toward the District in large and deep capital letters, 
''Jurisdiction of the United States," followed by the 
word miles and the progressive number, which in this 
case is 5. 

On the opposite side is the word ''Marjdand" and 
beneath it a figure 1, which evidently means the end 
of the first mile in Maryland. 

The stone our picture shows is erect, in fair condi- 
tion except that it is scarred by the bullets of soldiers 
or sportsmen. Forts Mansfield and Simmons, earth- 
works erected for the defense of Washington during 
the Civil War were both within a short distance of this 
stone. 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X, Pl. XIII. 




Northeast No. 2. 
In Takoma Park — edge of sidewalk. 




NoKTiiKAST No. 3. 
Near Stott's Station — in edge of woods. 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 71 

In a deep ravine, near the reservoir we came upon 
the old spring- house, through which a most refreshing 
stream of water was flowing. 

The Girls' Reform School of the District of Colum- 
bia is but a short distance east of the stone, on the site 
of Battery Vermont. 

Northwest No. 6 is about one mile northwest of the 
village of Tenallytown in open and cleared ground, in 
consequence of which it is so badly battered and bruised 
that scarcely any part of the inscription can be read. 

It is on the northwest side of a newly cut road which 
follows the District line and is here called "Boundary 
Avenue." Several houses, all newly built, are within 
a short distance and new streets are being opened in 
every direction. The subdivision is called "American 
University Park ' ' although it is more than a mile from 
the site of the university. Fort Bayard, one of the 
chain of defense forts of the national capital, was 
almost within a stone's throw of this stone. It should 
be replaced at once by a new one and steps taken to 
prevent injury in the future. Here the left of the line 
rested during the Battle of Fort Stevens, July 11 and 
12, 1864. 

Northwest No. 7 is in open ground less than a quar- 
ter of a mile west of the Chevy Chase circle, but has 
suffered very little from the ravages of time. Our 
picture shows it to he firm, upright, the lettering being 
clear cut and deep and its edges good. The variation 
of the magnetic compass at this place, in 1792 was 
0°-59' East and this is marked on the fourth side of the 
stone— as well as the number 3 on the Maryland side, 
meaning 3 miles from the Potomac. 

This stone is on the grounds of the Bannockburn 
Golf Club and only a short distance from the club 
house. It is also a near neighbor to the little club 



72 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

house of the English Cricket Club. It is one of the 
stones classed as in good condition. Fort Reno was 
about one half mile southwest of this stone. 

Northwest No. 8 is nearly a mile eastward from 
Chevy Chase and deep in the woods. No other portion 
of the ten miles square presents more nearly the appear- 
ance of primeval forests than does the country adjacent 
to this and the following stone. Remote from roads, 
where few travellers venture, yet bordering almost 
on the beautiful settlement of Chevy Chase on the one 
side and the Rock Creek National Park on the other, 
this stone is a fit memento of the early days of the 
republic. It is in fair condition, and erect though moss 
grown. To this secluded spot have now come the sur- 
veyors with transit and steel tape and they, followed 
by the axe men, have carved a broad lane through the 
massive woods and "Boundary Avenue" with various 
intersecting streets will soon be its near neighbors, and 
houses and people will congregate, in its vicinity. 

Too soon, alas! will the change come for the true 
lover of nature, which ushers in the days of ''boom 
sub-divisions," garish cottages and doubtful joys, and 
drives him still further afield if he wishes to commune 
with, nature. 

Northwest No. 9 is the banner stone for obscurity. 
It' was a hot summer day when our party of five entered 
Rock Creek Park from the Silver Spring side and 
passed to the end of Daniel's road. Though early, 
the heat was somewhat oppressive and we trudged over 
many miles of dusty roadway finding ourselves, accord- 
ing to our maps, which we consulted often, about one 
third of a mile distant through a trackless woods. Few 
travellers enter here, but in a little open glade near a 
diminutive stone quarry, we found the truant. Woods 
on every hand, giant oaks, swarthy pines, waving 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X, Pl. XIV. 




NORTHE.XST No. 4. 
Near S anient Road. 




\oKTiii;.\sT \o. 3. 
Near Queen's Chapel Road. 



Woodward : Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 7Z 

poplars and gums whose branches always interlaced 
and beneath our feet the branching fern and cruel 
blackberry vine whose briars stop and stab. It is in 
poor condition, leaning slightly, scarred and chipped, 
its corners rounded and the symmetry of a cut stone 
sadly marred. The hillside slopes gently to the north 
and in its solitude, where no sound from the world 
penetrates, it stands in fading grandeur. One fourth 
of a mile beyond swirls the charming little Rock Creek, 
one of the original belles of the District, winding its 
devious way through the entire length of the Rock 
Creek National Park to finally drop into the lovely 
Potomac. 

The North Corner. 

Northwest No. 10 or the North Corner stands erect 
in an open field, which is alternately a cornfield or a 
pasture. It has suffered much from the depredations 
of careless visitors as well as the storms of the entire 
nineteenth century and chipped corners and battered 
faces tell the story. 

Though far from the travelled road it is easy of 
access to one who possesses the key, and the walk 
through the wayside path, fragrant with blossoms of 
spring time and chestnuts laden with the spoils of 
autumn or underneath a cluster of century old oaks, 
marks a day to be remembered. This stone stands 
three feet out of the ground and is the extreme north- 
em point of the District. 

As will be seen by examination of the pictures the 
inscription ''Jurisdiction of the United States" is 
written perpendicularly on the inside of both faces of 
the stone and the word ''Maryland" on the outside 
of both. The eastern coraer stone is similarly marked. 
This stone is on the land of Chester A. Snow, not far 



74 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

from the Woodside Station of the Metropolitan Branch 
of the B. & 0. R. E. 

In the churchyard of the Grace Episcopal Church in 
Woodside, may be seen a handsome granite shaft 
erected to the memory of seventeen unknown Con- 
federate soldiers who were killed in the battle of Fort 
Stevens. Here occurred the only battle of the Civil 
War within the limits of the District and the crumbling- 
ruins of the headquarters of General Early were to 
be seen a few years ago in the Huyck Woods near the 
corner stone. 

Strenuous days were those for the dwellers of Mont- 
gomery County, when an armed foe came down the 
Seventh Street road as far as Piney Branch road, 
almost beneath the guns of Fort Stevens; when farms 
were raided, live stock carried off and wives and 
daughters impressed into service as cooks for hungry 
soldiers, dressed in both the blue and the gray. 

Having compassed the Maryland part of the line 
lying to the northwest of the District we turn now at 
right angles and enter upon the northeast line. No. 1 
of which stands or rather leans at a decided angle, in 
a cultivated field belonging to Hon. Blair Lee, on the 
estate owned and occupied by Francis P. Blair. It is 
in fair condition and when visited was embedded in a 
luxuriant crop of cow-peas, which plainly show in the 
X)icture. Curious enough the stone cutter used the sin- 
gular form for the mile number, marking it "Mile 1," 
instead of "Miles 1," as on other similar stones. 

This point was the central one in the battle of Fort 
Stevens and Hon. Montgomery Blair's house, one 
fourth of a mile north of the spot was burned by the 
raiders on July 12, 1864. 

Silver Spring on the Seventh Street road is one of 
the landmarks of this section, being a beautiful spring 



Col. Hist. Soc. Vol. x, Pl. XV. 




Northeast No. 0. 
Near Brentwood Road. 




Northeast No. 7. 
Back of Reform School 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X, Pl. XVI. 




Northeast No. 8. 
Kenilworth, D. C. 




NOKTIIE.VST No. 9. 

Near I'nrrvillc. 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. /S 

of living water flowing through the finest of sand. The 
stone is situated near the entrance gates not far from 
the point where the double track of the Electric R. R. 
ends and the Forest Glen single track begins. North 
of it a short distance is the Silver Spring station on 
the B. & 0. R. R. and eastward in a glorious grove 
of chestnut trees, may be seen the old Admiral Lee 
mansion now occupied by Mrs. James Blair. 

N. E. No. 2 stands in the line fence of the property 
of Col. James Kniffen, on Maple Avenue, one block 
from Carroll Avenue, in the town of Takoma Park. 

This stone is not in very good condition, the face 
being considerably worn, the lettering defaced and the 
corners chipped. It is dated 1792 as are all the Mary- 
land stones. 

Takoma Park is one of the most rapidly growing 
suburbs of Washington and a very attractive place of 
residence. The famous Takoma Spring has a reputa- 
tion much wider than the town itself. 

N. E. No. 3 stands in the edge of the woods on the 
estate of Mr. Norman Kidwell, who kindly piloted us 
to the stone and entertained us at the same time with 
a resume of his various matrimonial experiences. The 
stone is erect, two feet out of the ground but badly 
scarred and stained. It is about one half of a mile 
fi'om Stotts' station on the B. & 0. R. R., about mid- 
wa}^ between the Riggs and Sligo Mill roads. The 
variation of the magnetic compass is recorded as 0° 18' 
AVest. 

At the time of our visit the early vegetables began 
to be attractive and our party followed the example set 
Ijy the farmer and pulled and ate some delicious raw 
turnips ! What a blessing a cold hard winter can be, 
when it gives even a city dweller a taste for early raw 
turnips. 



76 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

N. E. No. 4 is in fine condition, erect and firm and 
stands in a thin strip of woods on the land belonging 
to the heirs of the Miller estate. It is 136 feet north- 
east of the Sargent road nearly a mile from its junc- 
tion with the Bunker Hill road. On one side is the 
cleared land of the Miller estate and on the other side 
the thick woods of Mr. D. Herder. The stone stands 
in the line fence. 

One mile west of this upon a beautiful hill 302 feet 
high, in solitary grandeur, stands Fort Totten, origi- 
nally called Fort Towson, in an almost perfect state 
of preservation. The view from the ramparts of the 
old fort, once seen is one long to be remembered. At 
this spot the right of the line rested during the battle 
of Fort Stevens. 

N. E. No. 5 is about one fourth of a mile from any 
travelled road and stands in the edge of a truck garden 
owned by Mr. Lewis Strckfus on a part of the old 
Klein estate. It is southwest from the Queen's Chapel 
road, near the point where the C. & P. Telephone 
Company have established a repair station for long dis- 
tance work. As will be seen from our illustration, 
which also shows Mr. Strckfus' daughter, Katy, the 
stone leans at an angle of 45 degrees; otherwise this 
stone is in good condition and the inscription is easily 
read. One wonders when and how, under the existing 
conditions, this massive stone more than two feet under 
ground, should thus change its position. One of the 
old residents assured us from his personal observation 
that for at least thirty years it had been in that same 
position. 

More than likely some tremendous storm of years 
gone by, like that which destroyed Minot's Ledge 
Lighthouse in 1851 or the great September gale of 1869, 
swelled the little ditch on the edge of which it stands, 



Col. Hist. Soc. Vol. X, Pl. XVII. 




SoLTHKAST Nu. 1. 

Near Capitol Heights 




l'",.\ST COK.XKK. 

Near end of electric railroad at Chesapeake Beach Railroad Station — in 

open marsh. 



Woodward : Ramble Along Boundary/ Stones. yy 

to a powerful, rushing stream, and in its course, 
washed away enough of the sand to topple the stone. 

N. E. No. 6 stands in a little wooded nook about fifty 
feet from the Brentwood road, midway between Eives 
Station on the B. & 0. R. R. and Ranier Heights on the 
City and Suburban Electric Road. This was the 
second stone in Maryland originally placed at an in- 
ten^al greater than a mile, but as the end of the meas- 
ured mile fell in the little stream flowing into the 
Eastern Branch the surveyors measured forward ten 
rods to the farther bank of the stream where firm 
ground was reached, and it is marked 6 Miles— 10 
Poles. 

This stone is in an ideal location and remains in a 
comparatively good condition which is somewhat re- 
markable when we consider that it is at the wayside of 
one of the oldest thoroughfares between this city and 
Bladensburg, this road having been established before 
the city of Washington was laid out. 

West of this stone is old Fort Saratoga of Civil War 
memory and nearer to it the new towns of Woodridge 
and Langdon, Winthrop Heights, and Mt. Ranier. 
Easterly lies the famous Bladensburg duelling ground 
and to the south adjoining the B. & 0. R. R. are the 
foundations of what was once the bronze foundry of 
Clark Mills, the sculptor. 

N. E. No. 7 as shown in our picture is one of the 
finest stones in the whole Maryland line, yet the stone 
contains a bad seam extending at least a foot down 
from the top. The method of cutting out the stone 
with the upper part sawed and finished and the base 
rough, is clearly shown by our picture. 

We believe that very few persons have even seen this 
stone. Marcus Baker says : ' ' It is nearly a mile from 
the Bladensburg road and difficult to find without a 



78 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

guide." On Thomas J. Fislier's recent real estate 
map of the District, all of the boundary stones are 
indicated by the letters B.S., followed by the number, 
except this one. A long search, continued for a part 
of two days, revealed to us the stone, in the line of a 
barbed wire fence, in a thick but not dense woods, about 
three fourths of a mile east of the Reform School. We 
found the stone by following compass bearings from 
No. 6, crossing the Bladensburg road, climbing the hill 
to and through old Fort Lincoln and still keeping our 
compass directions, southwest, plunging into the woods 
and deep ravines. It is on land of the United States 
government used by the Eeform School, near the bank 
of the Eastern Branch. Near this stone may be seen 
Battery Jameson and two smaller earth batteries. 

N. E. No. 8 stands in a bramble field at Kenilworth 
in the rear of a now famous (1905) pool room, which 
has so stirred up the citizens of that place. The elec- 
tric cars which traverse the Bladensburg road, stop at 
the District line, and at this point a private road leads 
to the northwest. This road is on the boundary line 
and the stone may be found 300 feet northwest of the 
Bladensburg road, on the Voorhees place, making an 
equilateral triangle with two sizable oak trees. Though 
near a cornfield the stone is surrounded by wild grape 
vines, bracken and fern, briars, etc., making a tangled 
mass more than three feet high, which at this season 
of the year almost conceals the stone. The stone is 
partially covered by repeated plowing or washings of 
dirt, only about 12 or 14 inches being above the ground. 
One mile southwest from the stone are the Licking 
Banks of the Eastern Branch, and about the same dis- 
tance the Benning's Race Track. We were entertained 
by the doorkeeper of the pool room, who assured us 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X. Pl. XVIII. 




Southeast No. 2. 
Near the Bowen Road — in open pasture. 













SoUTHE-AST No. 3. 
Near tlie Suit Road — abnormal in size. 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 79 

with a convincing smile that this was not a pool room, 
but a branch of the ' ' Maryland Telegraph Office. ' ' 

The stone is dated 1792, as are all of the Maryland 
stones, and the magnetic variation is 0° 24' east. 

N. E. No. 9 was found after a long walk and in an 
unexpected place. It is literally by the roadside, being 
in a fringe of trees and bushes not more than five or 
six feet wide, between a field and the public road, here 
called the Eegent road. It is one mile from the electric 
cars at the Benning's Eace Track and not far from 
the village known as Burrville. The nearby inhabit- 
ants are all colored. As will be seen from one picture, 
a cherry tree of generous size has grown up against the 
District side of the stone so closely as to hide its face 
entirely and more than fourteen inches of the stone 
have been covered either by accident or design, so that 
only about ten inches of it is out of the ground. Our 
colored guides rejoiced in the time-hallowed name of 
Washington. 

This stone should be reset after removing the cherry 
tree which threatens to throw it out of place. 

East Cornee. 
The east corner stone, like the north corner stone, is 
larger than the intermediate ones, and differently 
marked. In the others the line crosses the center, one 
half of each stone being in Maryland and the other 
half in the District of Columbia. At the corners, how- 
ever, onlj^ one fourth of the stone is included in the 
District, and the words. Jurisdiction of the United 
States, written perpendicularly, are on the inside sec- 
tion of the stone. It stands on a level marsh, and is 
easily seen from a distance, being about 500 feet south 
of the District Line Station of the Electric and Steam 
R. R. at Chesapeake Beach Junction, and about 200 



So Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

feet distant from the embankment of the Chesapeake 
Beach railroad. 

It stands erect and the inscription is easily read. 
Here also the march of improvement is well under way 
and Boundary Boulevard has been cut through the 
woods and forests, nearly the whole distance from this 
corner to the first mile stone on the S. E. line. Streets 
are being carved out, street signs erected and houses 
going up on every hand. '*61st Street East" signs 
stare us in the face, as we remember reading signs 
indicating ''49th Street West," near Murdoch Mill 
road, on the other side of the city, thus making a sj^read 
of 110 squares in the District. The ground on which 
the stone stands is owned by Mr. J. W. Lee, a colored 
man. 

S. E. No. 1 marks the beginning of the last line of 
survey of the ten miles square which ends at Jones' 
Point Lighthouse, in Alexandria, Virginia. It stands 
in the midst of thick woods and is in fair condition, 
leaning slightly. Its nearness to a large tree more 
than twenty inches in diameter, which shows in our 
picture, is unfortunate. We note that the stone cutter 
used the plural form, Miles 1 instead of Mile 1, as on 
the N. E. Xo. 1, on the estate of the Hon. Blair Lee on 
the Seventh Street road. 

The stone is chipped and shattered, especially on the 
edges, some of the letters being missing. It stands on 
the Marshall estate, one half mile south of Central 
Avenue, and not far from a new sub-division in which 
in July, 1905, a dozen new houses were being con- 
structed. It is 400 feet from the edge of the woods in 
either direction. 

S. E. No. 2 stands erect and is in fine condition. It 
is on the Trimble property, south of the Bowen road, 
or as it was called in early days, the Ferry Road to 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X, Pl. XIX. 




SlMTHliAST No. 4. 

Near Walker Road — see marker iS feet distant. 




Sot THK.\>T Xo. 3. 
Near O.xiJii Rnn--in inu-ls sjardeii. 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 8i 

Upper Marlboro. The Ridge Road, which terminates 
near this point, if extended 350 feet, would strike the 
stone. It stands in the midst of a pasture covered with 
scrub oak and bushes. It is the regulation two feet 
out of the ground and, as the picture shows, very 
little defaced. It is remote from dwellings and not far 
from a private road running south from the Bowen 
Road. One singular fact was noted at this place, viz., 
a fine broken stone road was being constructed by the 
authorities of Maryland and Prince George County 
on the Bowen Road beyond the District line. Else- 
where in our travels we have found the District roads 
in good condition, usually macadamized or gravelled, 
and succeeded by a poor country road— here the condi- 
tions are reversed. 

It is dated 1792 and the variation of the magnetic 
compass is 0° 4' East. 

S. E. No. 3 is unique and stands on the slope of an 
open valley overlooking Oxon Run. It is thirty-seven 
inches finished, and six inches rough, or forty-three 
inches in all out of the ground. It stands in a garden, 
east of the suit, or as it was formerly called, the Suit- 
land Road. It is leaning slightly and the inscription 
is partially defaced by the action of the elements. The 
date is 1792 and the variation of the magnetic compass 
0° 8' West. We are at a loss to know why this abnor- 
mal stone was placed here. It may be that this was 
intended for the west corner, near Falls Church, Vir- 
ginia, and that the stone cutter made a mistake in let- 
tering. This seems probable from the fact that the 
stone at the west corner is only twenty-four inches out 
of the ground, the same design as the intermediate 
stones. 

A few rods north of the stone on the level to]:) of a 
small plateau is an old farmhouse, on the estate of I. M. 
6 



82 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

and H. Young, having wide double porches, supported 
on cedar posts, immense outside chimneys and numer- 
ous out-buildings, nearly all of which have fallen to 
decay. The house and all its surroundings appear to 
be contemporary with the stone. The view from the 
front of this house, between two century-old oaks, and 
a younger 1)ut still venerable walnut tree, shows the 
valle}^ of Oxon Run dotted with farms and forests, 
houses and out-buildings, and forms indeed a beautiful 
j)icture. 

At this point we notice by the roadside two granite 
stone post ''markers," intended to mark the spot where 
the District line crosses the public street. They are six 
inches square and marked on the top with the letters 
MD. and D. C. 

S. E. No. 4 stands erect at the side of the Walker 
Eoad, called on the older maps the Naylor Road. 

It is about twenty inches out of the ground, and were 
it not for its general resemblance to the other mile 
stones would hardly be taken for a boundary stone. It 
is about one eighth of a mile northwest from Oxon Run 
and remote from any house. This stone should be 
replaced at once, as it is rounded, battered and chipped 
on every side, so that few fragments of the lettering 
remain. 

An old resident informed the writer that he was 
familiar with the location during the Civil War and is 
sure that many of the soldiers used it as a target. 
Forts Davis, Baker, Wagner and Ricketts are all very 
near it, and Fort Stanton was only a mile distant. 

Marcus Baker, in his interesting paper on the Bound- 
ary Monuments of the District of Columbia, says : 
''The wheels of passing vehicles have ground off every 
vestige of lettering." 

The wheels of passing vehicles may have rubbed off 



Col. Hist. Soc, Vol. X, Pl. XX. 




Sill 'riiKAST No. 6. 
( )n plateau near Wheeler Road — in truck sarden. 




SoLTHE.^ST No. 7. 
Near Livingston Road— buried in ground to tip. 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 83 

the lettering on the side towards the street, but conld 
hardly have done so on the remoter sides. 

S. E. No. 5, like the three preceding, is in the valley 
of Oxon Eun, bnt on the south side and about 500 feet 
therefrom. 

A long tramp in either direction is necessary to reach 
this stone, which is on the farm of Mr. J. H. Thomp- 
son, leased at present to Mr. Pumphrey and worked by 
him as a truck-garden. This year, 1905, it stands in 
a potato field, and our picture, which shows the datC; 
1792, and the word Maryland, also shows quite a large 
piece chipped from the top. It is on the edge of a 
large cultivated marsh, within 150 feet of Mr. Pum- 
phrey 's house. Only eighteen inches of the stone re- 
main above ground, but the earth appears to be heaped 
up around it by the plough or by the hand of tlie 
farmer. It is in fairly good condition, and the varia- 
tion of the magnetic needle was 0° 21' East. 

S. E. No. 6, which is probably the best one of the 
entire number in regard to condition, stands on an ele- 
vated plateau of large extent, about 300 feet southeasi 
from the Wheeler Road. Here, as in several othei- 
locations, the condition of the road surface shows 
where the care of the District ends, and the care of the 
state of Maryland begins, the former being almost in- 
variably good and the latter only fair. It is superbly 
erect, edges good, lettering distinct and nestles under 
the protecting branches of a little sassafras tree. 

The land is owned by Mr. Burr, and the house, which 
is about 600 feet northwesterly from the stone, is occu- 
pied by Mr. Barber, a truck farmer. An old wind-mill 
stands midway between the house and the stone, 

S. E. No. 7 once stood, but now is absolutely buried, 
at the side of the Livingston Road, on the west bank 
of a small stream flowing into Oxon Run. Only about 



84 Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 

two inches of the tip is visible, the remainder being 
buried, partly by washings from the stream and partly 
by the raising of the grade of the Livingston Road. 

A grocery store kept by Archie Weir and a little 
group of houses are within a few hundred feet of the 
stone on the District side, and the attractive residence 
and dairy farm of Mr. Powell about twice that distance 
on the Maryland side, and a saloon is now (1906) 
^vithin twenty feet. This stone should be raised at 
once, so as to be two feet above ground. Its condition 
could not be ascertained without a great deal of dig- 
ging, but it seems probable that the earth packed 
around it has preserved it in good condition. 

S. E. No. 8 is one the sight of w^iich rewards only 
the earnest seeker, and means a long walk in order to 
reach it. It is erect and in good condition, thoroughly 
hidden in a swampy thicket and about half buried in 
the earth in the edge of a dense woods. It is near to, 
and almost in sight of, the Potomac, opposite the cen- 
tral part of Alexandria. There are no roads, the near- 
est being the old Giesboro Road, which ends abruptly 
on the hillside, more than one fourth of a mile from 
the stone. The new buildings of the District of Colum- 
bia Poor-House, now being constructed (1905) are 
about one fourth mile northwest and between the stone 
and Shepherd's Landing. Mr. Harry B. Sweeny, who 
operates a fine truck-farm near the poor-house, very 
kindly directed us to the stone, after our unaided ef- 
forts had failed. The accuracy of our use of the com- 
]iass in searching for the stone may be seen from the 
fact that we were within twenty feet of the stone, when 
we abandoned the search and hunted up Mr. Sweeny. 
Our little compass may be seen in the picture on the 
top of the stone. The date is 1792 and the magnetic 
variation is 0° 34' East. 



Col. Hist. Soc. Vol. X, Pl. XXI. 




SoLTHK.VST No. 8. 

Near mouth of Oxon Run — in edge of woods. 




SuLTllE.\ST No. <). 
In waters of Potomac, at Fox's Ferry, opposite Alexandria. 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 85 

S. E. No. 9 is the last stone in Maryland and is in 
the waters of the Potomac Eiver on a point below the 
mouth of Oxon Run. It is the landing for Fox's Ferry, 
or in the olden times, ''The Lower Ferry," to Upper 
Marlboro and is opposite the central part of Alexan- 
dria, Virginia. The distance is twenty-nine rods short 
of nine miles, and the stone is marked "8 M. 291 P." 
It leans slightly and is in fair condition, although its 
location is poor, as it is now in the water. No doubt, 
when it was placed it was on firm ground, but the grad- 
ual encroachment of the river, and the crumbling away 
of the river's banks have left the stone in a pj'ecarious 
position. 

The old barn shown in our picture is, with the old 
house, falling into decay, and the very few passengers 
who cross the river by way of Fox's Ferry are the only 
persons who see the last boundary stone of the original 
District. 

Our trip to this point was made in the row boat of 
a hermit named Burrage, who lives on the river's 
bank in a little hut about six feet square, and ferries 
the workmen over from Alexandria to their daily work 
on the government poor-houses. Mr. Burrage was in 
an anecdotal vein and we greatly enjoyed a voyage in 
his boat, which left us in Alexandria. 

This stone should be reset upon firm ground at once. 

The South Corner. 

The south corner is said to be built into the wall of 
a diminutive lighthouse on Jones' Point, below Alex- 
andria, Va. It cannot be seen and only its approxi- 
mate location is pointed out— at the to]) of a flight of 
steps leading from the shore to the doorway of the 
lighthouse. 

The west comer stone, near Falls Church, Virginia, 



86 liecords of the Columbia Historical Society. 

is but two feet higli instead of three feet as in tlie 
case of the north and east comer stones, and bears 
upon its sloping surface the words "West Corner." 
This is the only stone, bearing a similar mark. It is 
seriously broken, a large piece having been split from 
the top and lying on the ground near by. 

Although this stone is no longer a boundary stone it 
is not devoid of interest and it marks the extreme 
western point of the District as it was originally laid 
out. 

Briefly, the line separating the District of Columbia 
from Maryland may be described as a line beginning 
on the bank of the Potomac about one half mile above 
the chain bridge, passing over the Eeceiving Reser- 
voir, through American University Park, Chevy Chase 
Circle, Pinehurst, across the upper end of Eock Creek 
Park to the North Corner near Woodside, Md. ; thence 
at right angles through the midst of the town of 
Takoma Park, northeast of Brookland over Mt. Eainer 
and Fort Lincoln on the hill near the Eeform School, 
across the Eastern Branch and its marshes, through 
Kenilworth to the Eastern Corner, not far from the 
railroad station of Chesapeake Beach Junction, the 
end of the electric car line ; thence at right angles over 
a succession of hills and woods on the high ridge back 
of the Bowen road, down the valley of the Oxon run, 
crossing the plateau on which is the Wheeler road, 
thence into the valley of Oxon run again, to the Poto- 
mac, opposite the lower part of Alexandria, Va. 

Important as these ancient boundary stones are to 
the historian or antiquary, they are singularly unpro- 
tected and should at once be safeguarded against 
further injury or damage other than the necessary ex- 
posure to the elements. Such protection might be 
afforded by a small enclosure about five feet square 



Woodward: Ramble Along Boundary Stones. 87 

and five feet high, suitably made of wrought iron of 
approved national design, to be placed around each 
stone. In some such manner, may these earlier monu- 
ments of the history of the District of Columbia be pre- 
served for those who come after us. 



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